Monday, May 03, 2010

I've been hearing Ang Lee's next project The Life of Pi mentioned everywhere lately. When I attended the premiere of MicMacs at the Tribeca Film Festival, Jean-Pierre Jeunet even referenced the cinematic adaptation (his own that is, long abandoned due to budgetary problems). But today I'm hearing about another new Lee project that's also enticing even though it's a biopic. The masterful director has been given the right's to Teresa Teng's life and -- here's the enticing part -- Tang Wei may be playing the singer.

Ang Lee and Tang Wei during the Lust Caution brouhaha

Their previous collaboration Lust Caution was a triumph as a film (ignore the way it was brushed aside -- it's marvelous) and especially as a star-making performance so any reunion between the two is fully warranted.

I had never heard of Teresa Teng (sometimes spelled Teresa Tang to confuse us) so I had to look her up. Turns out I had heard both her name and her music. And as ever it's the cinema that teaches me. She's the pop star that Maggie Cheung and Leon Lai obsess over frequently in a movie I have seen (and quite enjoyed) called Comrades Almost A Love Story (1996).

Teng was amassive figure in Asian pop where she reigned during the 80s. She died suddenly in the mid-90s from asthma complications. You know how early deaths tend to cement celebrity legends.

This is one of her biggest hits "The Moon Represents My Heart" and a Teresa Teng moment lifted directly from Comrades. (Argh! Now I miss Maggie Cheung.)

Do you look forward to a Lust Caution reunion? (If you haven't seen it yet, what's your excuse? Get on that.) Can we a get a cameo from Tony Leung in this reunion? No? How about Lee-Hom Wang?

I would definitely love to see a Lust, Caution reunion. Such a great movie and Tang Wei was amazing. What an incredible debut. I agree with Mirko that it's great to see her working again. It was shameful how she was treated.

Both lead performances in the movie were so underrated and overlooked that year (says this Tony Leung fan).